Hello, Mr. Killah. My name is Sean Sullivan. On May 31st at approx 8:13pm, I sent you a friendship request on the popular online social networking website, MySpace. As of right now (June 18th approx 1:57pm), I see that my friendship request has still not been accepted. What's up, Ghostface? Am I that terrible of a person to have as a friend? Are you worried that you'll lose some street cred if someone is searching through your network of friends and sees a fat white guy in a superhero costume standing in front of the Boston skyline? Does this have something to do with the New York/Boston rivalry? I know it is not because you dislike superheroes. In fact, I know that you probably like superheroes as you often refer to yourself as Tony Starks, which as we all know is the alterego for the Marvel Comics superhero, Ironman. Do you know how I know this, GFK? It is because I am very big fan of your music. I'll admit that I am certainly one of your newer fans, having first heard you on the DangerDoom album and sure, I bought your latest album Fishscale on a whim because it was only $8.99 at Newbury Comics but it is incredible. It will most certainly be in the top five of end-of-the-year-lists-of-things-that-i-like. I was so impressed that I've backtracked and bought Supreme Clientele and the Pretty Toney Album (both great btw). So what's up? Do you want to maybe have a trial run at a friendship before we solidify it in front of the online community. What are you doing tonight? I'm probably just going to rent some videos. You could come over and watch them with me if you want. I'll make popcorn. Have you ever seen the Princess Bride? I heard they just put out a new special edition of it on Dvd and since I don't think I've seen it all the way through before, I figured maybe we could watch it together. What do you say, Ghostface? Is that something you would like to do? We don't have to watch that movie. I have the third season of NewsRadio as well (though I like to watch those while I do the elliptical machine but I guess I could make an exception for you). Maybe we don't even have to watch videos. Contrary to the things I say in my stand-up act, I have been playing some really good mini-golf lately. It's an activity that I don't really enjoy in theory but that I kind of like in practise. There's an old timey looking mini-golf course over Holbrook that me and my girlfriend have been thinking about trying. It's not one of those Rock Cave Waterfall mini-golf courses that have become so commonplace. It's a throwback. Just like some of your music. Anyway, we could just get coffee (I don't drink coffee but I do like Chai) or we could just do some coke or something. Whatever. No biggie. I look forward to hearing back from you soon, Ghostface Killah.

As a general rule, I perform deviant sexual acts with women of all kinds, including but not limited to those with limited intellect, nude magazine models, and prostitutes. I particularly enjoy sexual encounters with the latter group as they are generally disappointed in the fact that they only receive penile intercourse and nothing more, unless of course, they douche on a consistent basis. Although I am extremely unattractive, I am able to engage in these types of sexual acts with some regularity. Perhaps my sexuality is somehow related to my fancy and expensive jewelry.

Lyrics:

And my jam knock in the Mitsubishi

Girls pee pee when they see me, Nava-hoes creep me in they tee pee

As I lay down laws like I lay carpet

Stop it - if you think your gonna make a profit

TRANSLATION:

I enjoy playing my music loudly on my car stereo. Apparently, women enjoy this also because they become sexually aroused when they see me driving. Oddly enough, when I visit the Native American reservations, some of the more sexually promiscuous Indian women attempt to seduce me in their homes. Their intent is to divest me of my earnings. Such actions are unacceptable.

Lyrics:

Don’t see my ones, don’t see my guns - get it

Now tell ya friends Poppa hit it then split it

In two as I flow with the Junior Mafia

I don’t know what the hell’s stoppin’ ya

I’m clockin’ ya - Versace shades watchin’ ya

Once ya grin, I’m in game, begin

TRANSLATION:

Understand this fact: you can have neither my money, nor my weapons. I suggest that you inform your peers that we engaged in violent sexual acts. Currently, I am rapping with my associates, the Junior Mafia. I’m having some difficulty understanding why you refuse to approach me. I am attempting to make eye contact with you through my expensive glasses, and as soon as you respond with a smile, I will approach you.

Lyrics:

First I talk about how I dress and this

And diamond necklaces - stretch Lexuses

The sex is just immaculate from the back I get

Deeper and deeper - help ya reach the

Climax that your man can’t make

Call and tell him you’ll be home real late

Let’s sing the break

TRANSLATION:

I prefer to open the conversation with light banter about my wardrobe and jewelry, then I like to discuss my collection of expensive cars. This is more than enough to convince you to have sexual intercourse with me. I am able to insert my penis further into you when I enter you from behind. Furthermore, you will be able to reach orgasm. I understand this to be a problem with your current sexual partner. He needn’t be concerned about your whereabouts. Please phone him and inform him that you won’t be home for a while. By the way, please sing the chorus of the song for me also.

Lyrics:

She’s sick of that song on how it’s so long

Thought he worked his until I handled my biz

There I is - major pain like Damon Wayans

Low down dirty even like his brother Keenan

Schemin’ - don’t bring your girl ‘round me

True player for real, ask Puff Daddy

TRANSLATION:

Your current love interest no longer wishes to hear your fabrications about the length of your member. After I had sexual intercourse with your woman, she became enlightened as to the proper way it is supposed to be performed; violently and immorally. It would be in your best interest to keep your woman away from me as my sexual prowess is very strong. If you are unconvinced, ask Puff Daddy.

Lyrics:

You - ringin’ bells with bags from Chanel

Baby Benz, traded in your Hyundai Excel

Fully equipped, CD changer with the cell

She beeped me, meet me at twelve

TRANSLATION:

Despite the fact that you attempted to win her at her doorstep with bags full of expensive clothes and a car (the lower end model Mercedes Benz which you financed by signing over your current vehicle) containing an expensive stereo and a cellular phone, your woman has contacted me through my pager indicating that we should rendezvous at midnight.

Lyrics:

Where you at? Flippin’ jobs, playin’ car notes?

While I’m swimmin’ in ya women like the breast stroke

Right stroke, left stroke what’s the best stroke

Death stroke - tongue all down her throat

Nuthin’ left to do but send her home to you

I’m through - can ya sing the song for me, boo?

TRANSLATION:

You, on the other hand, jump from job to job, barely able to maintain payments on the Mercedes Benz you purchased for your woman. Meanwhile, I continue to engage in sexual intercourse and commit lewd osculatory acts with your women. My only remaining option is to request that she leave my home and return to you because I have reached orgasm and no longer have a need for her presence.

Lyrics:

So, what’s it gonna be? Him or me?

We can cruise the world with pearls

Gator boots for girls

The envy of all women, crushed linen

Cartier wrist-wear with diamonds in ‘em

The finest women I love with a passion

Ya man’s a wimp, I give that ass a good thrashin’

TRANSLATION:

The ultimate decision rests with you. Whom do you choose as your sexual partner. I can take you on cruises around the world. I will dress you in the finest jewelry and footwear. You will be envied by women worldwide in your fine clothes and jewelry. There is a special place in my heart for beautiful women. I will defeat your man in an altercation because he is effeminate.

Lyrics:

High fashion - flyin’ into all states.

Sexin’ me while your man masturbates.

Isn’t this great? Your flight leaves at eight.

Her flight lands at nine, my game just rewinds.

Lyrically I’m supposed to represent.

I’m not only the client, I’m the player president

TRANSLATION:

You will be dressed in finest clothes on the runways of Paris. I will fly you to every state to shop for fine clothes and jewelry. You will enjoy sexual intercourse with me and your man will be forced to pleasure himself through manual stimulation. What a life! I’ll return you to LaGuardia in time to catch your 8 o’clock flight. The timing is perfect because I have scheduled a date with a second woman who arrives at the same gate at 9 o’clock. I’ll seduce her in the same way that I seduced you. I rap well and I am a positive reflection of my home town. Not only am I a sexually deviant, misogynistic, immoral, wealthy, male prostitute, but I also sit on the board of directors of the organization that governs others of my kind.

The 7 man crew known as the Athletic Mic League came together while still attending high school in Ann Arbor, MI. Buff, 14KT, Grand Champ, Sunny Star, Texture, and Vital joined forces with DJ Haircut and after two years of love and support from the local hip-hop community they made it official. Athletic Mic League was out to show the world what their brand of hip-hop was all about.

By 1998 AML had blessed high school talent shows, house parties, and hip-hop nights across Detroit. Following up with their underground classic demo The Thrill is Gone, the buzz grew to deafening levels. In 1999 they settled in Jersey City, quickly building their reputation and skills in the neighboring New York hip-hop scene.

They capitalized on their growing notoriety by dropping their debut album Sweats & Kicks which received rave reviews from the streets and hip-hop tastemakers alike. It also afforded them the opportunity of a lifetime. Their music was heard by Yasser Khan, an upstart manager out of Detroit's Barak Records. He was enthralled by their sound, and immediately set out to find what he knew was a once-in-a-career group. He introduced them to Barak's CEO, RJ Rice. Rice, a well-known record industry executive and the man behind seminal Detroit rap group Slum Village, recognized that AML had their finger on the pulse of what hip-hop needed: an infusion of energy and originality.

Athletic Mic League spent 2003 under Rice's guidance, soaking up knowledge on what makes or breaks records in the ever-changing climate of the music business. The results are astonishing. In January of 2004, AML released their new single 'Feel It' on a national scale and witnessed extraordinary crossover success. In March they were voted 'Best Rap/Hip-Hop Group' in Detroit by Real Detroit Magazine. The release of their new album Jungle Gym Jungle on Super Tuesday June 22nd, is an eagerly anticipated event for both Detroit and the entire music community.

Alternative hip hop or Underground hip hop is defined as a culture rather than just a musical genre. Underground hip hop includes the arts of turntablism, sampling, producing, breakdancing, visual art, graffiti, spoken word, beatboxing, freestyling, cyphering, and more. The music itself is distinguished by artists who are not promoted by major record labels, often because of their experimental musicianship and lyrical content. Many underground artists are also using hip hop to successfully communicate issues of social justice, global and political change, and collective consciousness. Underground hip hop beats are often characterized by the fusion of loops sampled from all genres of music, including classical, jazz, funk, rock, and punk. Although some listeners may associate live instrumentation with alternative hip hop, this distinction is invalid because mainstream rap acts such as J-Kwon use live instruments as well. Underground hip hop artists generally do not achieve the same level of financial success that commercial rappers achieve, although their work is often critically acclaimed.

Artists labeled as "alternative hip hop" musicians usually record and perform in styles that are more closely related to the original concepts and styles of hip hop music and hip hop culture, as opposed to their more popular commercial counterparts. DJ Kool Herc once said in an essay about hip hop, that "it's not about keeping it real. It's about keeping it right." In this sense, many would argue that alternative hip hop might not be so much an alternative as much as it is a continuation of the original concepts and ideals of hip hop.

The late 1980s

Alternative hip hop is usually said to have begun with De La Soul's landmark 3 Feet High and Rising (1989, see 1989 in music). The trio's distinctive style, mixing unique sampling sources (such as The Turtles, Steely Dan, and Johnny Cash) with spacey, hippie-ish lyrics and a sense of humor, made the album a commercial and critical success. With its inclusion of pre-recorded bits from outlandish sources, such as a French language instruction tape, the release foreshadowed the self-referential sampling kaleidoscope that would soon envelop hip hop (and pop music in general).

In addition to 3 Feet High and Rising, influential singles were released one year previously, in 1988 (see 1988 in music), by Gang Starr ("Words I Manifest") and Stetsasonic ("Talkin' All That Jazz"); these two singles fused hip hop with jazz in a way never done before, and helped lead to the development of jazz rap.

1989 also saw the release of:

Def Jef's landmark Just a Poet With a Soul, which included Etta James, an influential 1960s soul singer on one trackGang Starr's debut, No More Mr. Nice Guy, which is often considered the first LP to mix hip hop and jazzJungle Brothers' critically acclaimed second album Done By the Forces of Nature, which included dance beats and achieved some mainstream successQueen Latifah's feminist tract All Hail the Queen.

Early 1990s

During the early 1990s, mainstream hip hop was dominated by the West Coast G-Funk (like Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dogg). Other artists found success difficult to achieve, though some East Coast acts, such as Puff Daddy's empire of East Coast hip hop artists (Bad Boy Records) gained chart success (Mary J. Blige's 1992 What's the 411?) as well as critical success (Nas's 1994 Illmatic), though rarely both at the same time.

The underground emerges

While gangsta rap dominated the charts, the East Coast alternative sound began to lose its luster. Strangely enough, underground hip hop, as we know it today, was born on the college campus. Furthermore, the DIY ethic of selling tapes and CDs "out of the trunk" to record stores and directly to fans would soon be adopted by the underground rappers around the world.

Spurred by the Freestyle Fellowship, other West Coast artists like The Pharcyde (Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde, 1992) and the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy (Hypocrisy Is the Greatest Luxury, 1992) also rose to prominence in the field. Despite the popularity of Bay Area Booty Rapper Too Short, Oakland gave birth to underground artists Del tha Funkee Homosapien (cousin to Gangsta Rapper Ice Cube) and Souls of Mischief with their seminal album ("93 'til Infinity"). Alongside these West Coast groups were generally more popular East Coast groups like A Tribe Called Quest (People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, 1990) and Gang Starr (Step in the Arena, 1991). International groups, like Britain's The Brand New Heavies (Heavy Rhyme Experience, Vol. 1, 1992) and Massive Attack (Blue Lines, 1991) helped combine hip hop with R&B and electronica, respectively.

A Tribe Called Quest's 1991 album The Low-End Theory is regarded as one of the most influential recordings in alternative hip hop, especially with its timely indictment of the perceived commercializing and demoralizing effects of the music industry, then tearing hip hop apart into multiple competing genres, all rushing to sell out for mainstream success; the album also tackles subjects like date rape and rap feuds. The Low End Theory includes the legendary upright bassist Ron Carter and the Leaders of the New School (which included future superstar Busta Rhymes).

While A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul are considered jazz-rappers, the pioneer of an actual fusion between the two genres is unquestionably referential to the Last Poets, Gil Scott-Heron, and James Brown among others. Their collaborations with live jazz bands, including the likes of Horace Tapscott, date back to 1990. This inspired other artist s like Guru, whose 1993 Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1 was a critically acclaimed solo debut with live jazz backing. A jazz band including Lonnie Liston Smith, Roy Ayers, Branford Marsalis and Donald Byrd solos in the background while Guru (and guests like the Senegalese-French MC Solaar) raps.

Stubbornly insisting on sticking to their themes and ideas, alternative hip hop artists were able to incorporate elements of virtually every form of music around at the time.

Meanwhile, Christian hip hop group and pioneering Southern rap crew Arrested Development scored big with 1992's 3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life of..., which put Southern hip hop on the map. The album was particularly successful with non-hip hop fans, listeners who were turned off by the macho posturing of many other groups, and who wanted a safer alternative. Arrested Development's focus on peace and love and groovy beats made them relatively accessible, though their devout Christianity (reflected in the lyrics) also made them unattractive to some audiences.

Genres related to alternative hip hop

Alternative hip hop generally refers to a specific style of hip hop that is opposed to the mainstream sounds of pop rap. However, certain other hip hop fusion genres are closely related to this genre, including a mixture of 1970s-style soul music and hip hop called neo soul.

Neo soul

Hip hop also influenced R&B music in the 1990s. By the time hip hop began to enter the mainstream, R&B was rapidly losing its most legendary artists. While Michael Jackson, Prince, Tina Turner and Whitney Houston remained popular, the genre was seen as stunted and atrophied. Soon after, hip hop began to dominate what mainstream audiences thought of as African-American music with the release of Dr. Dre's blockbuster The Chronic. R&B became less popular among mainstream audiences, and several of the groups achieving commercial success mostly failing to find critical acclaim. The groups that did succeed incorporated hip hop beats and doo wop influences; these include Guy (The Future, 1990) and Boyz II Men (Cooleyhighharmony, 1991). Mary J. Blige's What's the 411? from 1992 was especially innovative, and lead to a style of R&B called hip hop soul that was popular during the early to mid 1990s.

During the mid- to late '90s, the hip hop soul sound was blended with a retro 1970s soul music feel, resulting in a new genre called neo soul. Widely regarded as a pioneer of the genre, D'Angelo's 1995 Brown Sugar was profoundly influential in its development, while a group of female artists like Erykah Badu (Baduizm) began its popularization soon after. Around and immediately after the turn of the decade, a second wave of female artists moved neo soul into the mainstream, especially Alicia Keys' Songs in A Minor (2001), as well as india.arie's Acoustic Soul (2001) and Jill Scott's Who Is Jill Scott?: Words and Sounds, Vol. 1 (2000). Critical reviews were mixed, with many listeners feeling that neo soul had lost its pioneering edge for middle-class shallow idealism.

The end of the 1990s

In spite of neo soul gaining mainstream acceptance, gangsta hip hop artists like Jay-Z (Reasonable Doubt, 1996) and DMX (...And Then There Was X, 1999) still dominated the charts as the end of the millennium neared. Critics and listeners regarded alternative hip hop as going through a lull.

Many observers feel that Dr. Octagon's seminal 1996 album Dr. Octagonecologyst revitalized hip hop's underground; Company Flow's Funcrusher Plus is another album cited as redefining the genre. Del tha Funkee Homosapien paired with Kool Keith's (aka Dr. Octagon) producer Dan the Automator to make Deltron 3030, who pushed the boundaries of hip hop to other universes and times.

Alternative hip hop soon began to lose its recent stylings for a return to Native Tongues-style old school with hardcore and jazz elements mixed in. The hip hop band, The Roots were among the leaders of the second alternative hip hop wave, dropping several critically acclaimed albums in the mid to late '90s, including Do You Want More?!!!??! (1995), Illadelph Halflife (1996), and the breakthrough, Things Fall Apart in 1999. On the West Coast, Ozomatli's self titled 1998 release fused latin and funky beats with hip hop in a groundbreaking way.

Mos Def and Talib Kweli's 1998 Black Star also contributed greatly to this evolution, with its return to Native Tongues-style old school hip hop. Mos Def's solo debut, Black on Both Sides (1999), quickly established him as a darling of alternative media for its incendiary politics, while Kweli's solo career took some time to get off the ground; as he didn't appear until 2000's Reflection Eternal, with partner Hi-Tek. Pharaohe Monch's Internal Affairs, his 1999 solo debut after leaving Organized Konfusion, also added more gangsta and hardcore hip hop elements to the mix.

Following in the footsteps of the Freestyle Fellowship were Jurassic 5 (Jurassic 5 EP) and Dilated Peoples (The Platform), who continued mixing funk and hip hop music to critical acclaim and popular rejection. The Bay area gave birth to highly experimental artists like Blackalicious with Nia, Zion I with "Mind Over Matter" as well as Lyrics Born, Lateef the Truth Speaker, and the Hieroglyphics Crew.

This period was also the high point for Hip Hop's DJ scene. The Invisibl Skratch Piklz and artists such as Cut Chemist, Dan the Automator, DJ Shadow, Mix Master Mike, DJ Qbert, and many others put a lasting stamp on turntablism and its emerging genre.

Post-2000 alternative hip hop

After the turn of the millennium, as the United States (still by far the world capital of hip hop) found itself confronted by the War on Terror, lyrics grew increasingly anti-mainstream, with some advocating radical actions on the behalf of various anarchist and socialist ideas. The cover for the album Party Music (2001) by the openly marxist band, The Coup, proved controversial after the September 11, 2001 attacks due to its depiction of the duo holding a stick of dynamite and a detonator, ready to blow up the World Trade Center (though the band itself had been well known in alternative hip hop circles since the early 1990s); other groups like dead prez (Let's Get Free, 2000), Mr. Lif with his EP, Emergency Rations, and Emcee Lynx (The Black Dog EP, 2003, and The UnAmerican LP, 2004) similarly raised controversy with militant and confrontational lyrics.

In 2001 and 2002, several popular albums were released. These included:

Though most of these bands could be considered "political hip hop" for their lyrical focus, the early 2000s also saw futuristic or apocalyptic rappers like Cannibal Ox, El-P, Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, Prahfitz Ov Inzaniti, and Aesop Rock.

In the new millennium a new "sub-genre" arose from the West Coast, spearheaded by underground rap producer Daddy Kev (famed for his work with the Freestyle Fellowship). With artists like Busdriver, AWOL One, The Shape Shifters, cLOUDDEAD, and Themselves, the music became known as abstract hip hop (aka avant-hop, prog-hop or indie-hop). These MCs and DJs blend their rhymes and beats with an electronica, post-rock or indie crossover. Additionally, artists such as the Bay Area's Zion I have incorporated Trip Hop sounds while continuing to identify their music as underground hip hop. The band Posse of Two uses new wave synths in their music while continuing to identify their music as underground hip hop.

In 1974, Kid Koala a.k.a Eric San was born in Vancouver, Canada. By the time he was twelve years old, and after many years of classical piano lessons, the young Eric discovered an increasingly popular sound that he would eventually make all his own. After making his first "scratch" on his sister's record player, he began saving his money from paper routes to buy his first turntable set-up.

By the early 1990's, Eric was living in Montreal where he had moved to study early childhood education at McGill University. While DJing in clubs, he began to attract the public's attention. In 1995, when Jon More (co-owner of UK record label Ninja Tune, and half of Coldcut) came to visit Montreal, Eric's innovative and humourous mix tape "Scratchcratchratchatch" ended up playing on the car stereo. Shortly thereafter, Eric, now Kid Koala, became Ninja Tune's first North American signing.

Following the signing, Kid Koala released a string of remixes and began touring North America with Ninja Tune artists such as Coldcut, DJ Food and DJ Vadim. But it was not long before his skill, innovation, and performance style led him to attract attention from those outside the club community. In 1998, he received an invitation to join Money Mark's band, and then went on the road to open for the Beastie Boys on their "Hello Nasty" world tour.

In February of 2000, Ninja Tune released Kid Koala's debut album "Carpal Tunnel Syndrome". The album received great praise and was featured in the international press for having defied expectation. The album was accompanied by both a video game and 32-page comic illustrated by Kid Koala himself. A tour featuring 6 turntables and live musicians soon followed and took the young artist throughout North America and Europe.

After the release of his first album on Ninja Tune, Kid Koala continued to tour extensively as a member of groups such as Deltron 3030, Lovage, Bullfrog and also as the opening act for international recording artists Radiohead.

But while he was on the road, new projects were brewing. Kid Koala continued to keep himself busy on his downtime with the help of pencil and paper. Many sketch books later, his first book Nufonia Must Fall was published in March of 2003 by ECW Press. This 350-page illustrated love story about an out-of-work robot and a workaholic girl was accompanied by a 'soundtrack' of short record of original, experimental piano-based compositions. The original music and his characters set the stage for a North American tour of intimate, sit-down venues, during which Kid Koala lay his fingers down not only on the turntables, but on the Wurlitzer- and on the remote control of an old slide projector.

Kid Koala's second full-length album on Ninja Tune "Some of My Best Friends are DJs" will be released in October 2003. It is an album (with a 50-page book) that clearly shows the evolution of a young artist, expanding on musical themes from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome as well as introducing entirely new musical concepts, and keeping in the aesthetic of Nufonia Must Fall. This album will be supported by tours in North America, Europe and Japan, and will incorporate music, animation and comedy into one complete cabaret performance.

If Donuts was Jay Dee's swan song, The Shining is a glimpse of what his work may have sounded like in the future.

The Shining is his second on BBE; the label released his debut, Welcome 2 Detroit, in 2001. That record, which broke ground on the Beat Generation series, set the creative bar high for those who would come after him, including fellow crate-diggers Pete Rock and DJ Spinna.

The Shining is packed solid with guest spots from friends and collaborators who worked with Jay over his decade-plus-long career. There's a soul-on-soul combination with Pharaohe Monch singing over one of Dilla's 45-infused beats, and an effortlessly dope set of verses from Black Thought and a casual hook he borrows from the intro to Jay's wax-only Ruff Draft EP (crucial material for any Dilla completists). A few heavy drums are all Detroit's Guilty Simpson and Stones Throw's Med need to get busy on "Jungle Love."

Despite Kanye boosting his sales numbers, it was Jay Dee who consistently brought out the best emcee in Common, his former roommate, and he proves it again here on "E=MC2." But it's a shame that the lead single will be one of the weaker "donuts," with Common's pink-frosting love talk and a few chocolate-sprinkled D'Angelo vocals on top. And I will never understand why a fiery Busta is wasted on a go-nowhere intro. The album's too short at twelve tracks, but we all know the reason for that. It does end on a high note, with Jay's version of modern soul: bubbling, multi-layered textures, rugged drums, vocal snip blips, and fantasy rhymes about girls, girls and more girls.

But for me the highlight has to be "Body Movin'," a white-hot instrumental track Dilla made with the help of Karriem Riggins. It couldn't be more different than the raw soul convections of Donuts. Cymbal-crashing percussion, sinister keys, an ever-building momentum and vocal samples cut in by the Beat Junkies' J.Rocc, "Body Movin'" quite simply sounds five steps ahead of all the other so-called beat-makers out there.

Jay Dee's real legacy is hard to define, specifically because he mastered so many styles, worked with so many different artists and remained unsatisfied with status quo until his dying day. Even when there was no doubt that what you were listening to was hip-hop, there was always another level to Jay's music -- one you could find with a pair of headphones just as quickly as you could with some push behind the speakers, a hidden element that went beyond samples and drum placement, not only allowing repeat listens but inviting them. The Shining is only further evidence that a master was at work. And that may be the saddest part of listening to this record: We will never know what he would have come up with next.

Masta Ace (born Duval Clear) is an African-American rapper from Brooklyn, New York. Appearing on classic 1988 posse cut, "The Symphony", he garnered notoriety as an unsung asset to the Juice Crew posse, and is therefore, widely considered one on the roster, where he released a number of well-respected albums that were nonetheless little-heard outside purist circles. The single that has earned him the most attention has been "Jeep Ass Niguh" (alternatively known as "Born To Roll", essentially a remix which uses a tweaked Moog synthesizer bassline sampled from Kraftwerk.)

His most recent (and reportedly final) album, A Long Hot Summer, gained considerable acclaim in 2004. He is one of a number of rappers to have mulled over the possibility of operating a record label, and his decision whether or not to quit rapping per se is pending.

In the early stages of his career, Masta Ace was very energetic (cf. "Jeep Ass N***a", where, tongue-in-cheek, he taunts police officers for their knee-jerk predisposition to harass black youth on city streets.) He also recorded material with a six-member supporting entourage, Masta Ace Incorporated. In light of his newly claimed status as a veteran, he has gravitated toward an earnest, matter-of-fact plainspokenness in the new millennium. Many of the songs that have lent newfound heft to his reputation are simple, no-nonsense rumination on feelings and facts of urban American life, including "Soda and Soap", "Brooklyn Masala" (which highlights a budding romance between Ace and a lovely but reserved Pakistani Hindu immigrant), and "Beautiful".

Recording history

1988-1994Ace made his recording debut as Master Ace on the classic hip hop posse-cut "The Symphony", along with fellow Juice Crew members Craig G, Kool G Rap and Big Daddy Kane, released on Marley Marl's In Control album. In Control also featured two lesser known Ace tracks "Keep Your Eyes on the Prize" and "Simon Says". His first solo single, "Together" b/w "Letter to the Better", was released in 1989. He released his debut album, Take A Look Around, through Marl's Cold Chillin' label in 1990, featuring production from Marl and DJ Mister Cee. The album featured two minor hit singles in "Music Man" and "Me & The Biz", a track in which he impersonates fellow Juice Crew member Biz Markie. During the few years between his debut and his sophomore album, Ace began having bitter feelings toward the commercial state of hip hop music, feelings which ruled the content on his second release, 1993's SlaughtaHouse, with the loose concept of the album seeing Ace taking the fake "gangsta emcees" to his "SlaughtaHouse". The album featured Ace's new crew, Masta Ace Incorporated, which included Eyceurokk, Lord Digga, Paula Perry and R&B vocalist Leschea. The album sold moderately well, fueled by the singles "SlaughtaHouse", "Saturday Nite Live", "Style Wars" and "Jeep Ass Niguh". "Jeep" featured an unlisted remix titled "Born to Roll", which became a smash crossover single in 1994, peaking at #23 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Also in '94, Ace became a member of a temporary crew called the Crooklyn Dodgers, along with rap vet Special Ed and Black Moon's Buckshot, and recorded the title track for the soundtrack to Spike Lee's film Crooklyn. The song became Ace's second Hot 100 hit in 1994, peaking at #60 on the chart.

1995-2000Ace furthered his mainstream appeal in 1995, with his radio-friendly Sittin' On Chrome album. This effort was also released with the Masta Ace Incorporated crew, now also known as The I.N.C. The album was Ace's most commercially successful release, breaking into the Top 20 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart. Sittin' On Chrome included "Born to Roll", as well as two other Hot 100 hit singles, "The I.N.C. Ride" and "Sittin' on Chrome". In 1996, Ace split up with the I.N.C. crew and was largely missing from the hip hop scene over the next five years, save for a number of random vinyl singles. During his vinyl days, he bounced from a number of labels, releasing his "Cars" single on Tape Kingz Records, his "Yeah Yeah Yeah" and "NFL" singles on the Union Label, his "NY Confidential" single on Replay Records, his "Express Delivery" single on Three Sixty Records, his "Spread It Out/Hellbound" single on Yosumi Records, his "Conflict" single on Mona Records, his "Ghetto Like" single on Fat Beats, his "So Now U A MC" single on Bad Magic Records, and his "Brooklyn Blocks" single on Buckshot's Duck Down Records.

2001-presentAce's "Ghetto Like" single led to a misunderstanding with an underground emcee named Boogieman, who released a somewhat similar single titled "Ghetto Life" not long before. He thought that Ace was "biting" his track and released a dis song toward Ace titled "Just You Wait". The dis led to a rap battle between the two at a Lyricist Lounge event, a battle that was won by Boogieman. Ace later claimed that he delivered his rhymes off the top of his head, while Boog was rapping previously written lyrics, a topic which he discusses on his scathing retaliation track "Acknowledge", aimed at Boogieman and the underground rap group the High & Mighty. "Acknowledge" was included on his fourth full length album, Disposable Arts, released in late 2001 through JCOR Records, six long years after his successful Sittin' On Chrome album. Disposable Arts became one of the most acclaimed underground hip hop releases of 2001, beloved for its pure hip hop style and clever album concept, which served as a fictional story, chronicling Ace's time spent at a satirical rap school named the Institute of Disposable Arts. JCOR Records folded soon after the release, leaving it out-of-print, until being re-released in 2005 on Ace's self-established M3 label. The album closer, "No Regrets", led many fans to believe that it would be Ace's final album, because of the line "I don't know if it's the end, but yo, it might be". Ace killed the rumors by returning in 2004 with his fifth album A Long Hot Summer, another highly acclaimed effort. The story concept, similar to that on his last release, served as a prelude to the story told on Disposable Arts, chronicling the "Long Hot Summer" that led to his character's incarceration at the beginning of the Disposable Arts album. Rumors once again spread about a retirement, which were again killed, when Ace announced the formation of his new rap crew named EMC, including himself, Punchline, Wordsworth and his protege Strick. The crew plans to release a group album sometime in late 2006.

Openness to collaborationsIn large part, the creative company Masta Ace keeps is comprised of underground performers with whom he has developed a personal rapport. He commonly acknowledges his fan base outside of the United States, which is considerably larger than within, as in the final seconds of his song "Good Ol' Love". He has shown an openness to working with foreign-based producers, including Koolade of Croatia and DJ Serious of Canada. He also performed a guest rap for the British Acid jazz group Young Disciples for their debut album.

In Scandinavna, he recorded "What Is It" with Norwegian veteran producer Tommy Tee in 2003, for the soundtrack to the car racing game "Midnight Club 2", which also was featured on several European mixtapes.

Within the United States, he has worked with Jean Grae, 9th Wonder of Little Brother, DJ Spinna, DJ Premier, RJD2, Pete Rock, Domingo, Ali Shaheed Muhammad of A Tribe Called Quest, and Kno of Cunninlynguists. Q-Tip enlisted him as a contributor to the original "Crooklyn Dodgers" track in 1992. The track spawned a follow-up in 1995, with a third projected for 2006, but neither Ace nor the other original contributors, Special Ed and the bellicose Buckshot (of Black Moon and Boot Camp Clik), were involved with them. Instead, the second Crooklyn Dodgers track was produced by DJ Premier and involved O.C., Chubb Rock and Jeru the Damaja, where the planned third installment is said to involve Mos Def, Jean Grae, and Memphis Bleek, with production courtesy 9th Wonder.

By extending largesse to younger MCs even as he has been careful to solidify connections with the rap game's old guard, he has amassed a list of collaborators numbering over 60. The most notable of his collaborators have been Eminem (who has expressed ongoing admiration for his skills), Common (on the track "Claimin' Respect" as part of a trio called Boulevard Connection), Guru of Gang Starr, Edo G (the third member of Boulevard Connection, from Boston), Jean Grae, Saukrates, Young Zee, Big Noyd, Cella Dwellas, King Tee, Tonedeff, Rah Digga, Strick, Das Efx, Greg Nice and the Beatnuts. He devotes several lines of the track "No Regrets" to express goodwill and thanksgiving to the artists he has worked with, calling these opportunities some of the most valued blessings of his career.

Georgia Anne Muldrow's new album Olesi: Fragments of an Earth will be released on Tuesday. At 22, Georgia is quite a phenomenon. She not only composed all of Olesi's tracks, but also produced the joint and constructed all of the album's organic, Dilla-esque beats.

The first woman signed to Stones Throw Records, Muldrow brings a limber, commanding voice steeped in '70s soul and jazz to her own brand of hip hop and funk. Her intriguing voice deftly handles her often abstract, jazz-like lyrical lines that sometimes meander along a winding trail, other times stick to a more familiar melodic path. Oh, and she raps. With an assertive flow. Other Music put it this way: "Muldrow's mix of the new soul is an infectious brew of jazz, R&B and, of course, hip-hop . . . [that] sounds like Chaka Khan being produced by the late J-Dilla."

It's worth noting that the jazz influence and phrasing Georgia brings to her work comes naturally. Muldrow's mother sang with Pharoah Sanders and her father invented instruments for Eddie Harris.

Muldrow's Ep Worthnothings received a fair amount of attention when it was released earlier this year. And not just from the underground hip hop community. Back in March, NPR's "Song of the Day" featured "Larva" from Worthnothings. Before her own Ep dropped earlier this year, Muldrow sang on three tracks from the Platinum Pied Pipers' Triple P album and collaborated with Sa Ra. Plus, she has a track on the forthcoming Stones Throw/Adult Swim Chrome Children project.

Here is the latest official announcement for our upcoming fifth album, Servants In Heaven, Kings In Hell, which will be in stores everywhere on September 19th, 2006 - a month from this Saturday. Needless to say, we're excited. Make sure you stop by our MySpace page today and check out two new tracks from the upcoming album: "Heavy Metal Kings" feat. ILL Bill and "Razorblade Salvation" feat. Shara Worden a/k/a Diamond Girl of My Brightest Diamond, as well as the video for "Heavy Metal Kings."

We're also excited to announce our Servants In Heaven, Kings In Hell Tour featuring R.A. the Rugged Man & Outerspace, which starts at SOB's in NYC on Sept. 19th and will take us through about 30 cities and 12,000 miles of road in North America. Tickets for most of the shows are now available online and from what we've heard, selling extremely quickly, so look to the left of this post, find the nearest show to you, and buy advance tix before they sell out completely. This week, we added shows in Toronto, ON and San Antonio, TX and should be adding a few more before the itinerary is final. To our European fans: We should be announcing tour dates for the November leg of our European tour real soon, so hold tight.

Last but not least, there are still tickets available for this Saturday's Around the Way Jam in Philly, PA. We're amped to perform, but also watch a bunch of legends in action. We're sharing a stage with Wu-Tang Clan, Redman, Rakim, and the Boot Camp Clik.

New York, NY--- Babygrande Records is proud to announce the September 19th release of Jedi Mind Tricks' fifth album, Servants In Heaven, Kings In Hell. The album reflects another benchmark in the evolution of a group that has continuously pushed the boundaries of indie hip-hop. For the past ten years, Jedi Mind Tricks has been making uncompromising music without regard to an industry that often resembles an exclusively hit-hungry country club. Jedi's renowned status as one of the most revered and reviled groups in independent music is a testament to their unwavering commitment to a unique aesthetic.

Jedi Mind Tricks is comprised of Philadelphia's own Vinnie Paz (aka Ikon the Verbal Hologram) and the mysterious maestro Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind. The group has continuously cooked up a witch's brew of sonic decadence comprised of Vinnie's politically-charged firebrand lyricism, a dose of battle rap braggadocio, and Stoupe's punishing production. While most rap producers are content to employ one, perhaps two, repetitious loops, Stoupe continues to redefine the role of rap producer by incorporating upwards of fifty tracks inclusive of samples, live instrumentation, and other such sound effects, effectively pushing the limits of his own signature style while further solidifying his deserved reputation as one of rap's most celebrated composers since Wu-Tang Clan's The RZA.

Servants In Heaven, Kings In Hell also serves as a stepping stone in the lyrical maturation of frontman Vinnie Paz, as he strikes a balance between the ferocious battle raps that have become synonymous with Jedi Mind Tricks and much more introspective offerings in the form of tracks like "Razorblade Salvation," during which Vinnie speaks directly to his mother about struggling with suicidal thoughts. The track features Stoupe's stunning reinterpretation of Sufjan Stevens' "Dumb I Sound" and is hallmarked by a hauntingly beautiful vocal performance by indie rock's Diamond Girl a/k/a Shara Worden, renowned back-up vocalist for Sufjan Stevens, as well as frontwoman of My Brightest Diamond. Early critics are drawing rave comparisons to Eminem's "Stan."

The lead single, "Heavy Metal Kings" (which has also been made into a dynamic video live and viewable at: www.jedi-mind-tricks.com), features Vinnie Paz's brother-in-arms, ILL Bill of the now defunct Non-Phixion, and is currently available on iTunes. A blue 12" limited edition vinyl personally signed by Vinnie is also available for purchase while supplies last at www.jedi-mind-tricks.com.To further reward their rabidly loyal fan base, Jedi will be issuing a Transworld chain (Coconuts, FYE) exclusive version of Servants In Heaven, Kings In Hell, replete with an additional "Heavy Metal Kings" bonus track remixed and performed by buzzing West Coast hardcore metal group TERROR. Rounding out the exclusive package is a bonus DVD including the "Heavy Metal Kings" video feat. ILL Bill as well as a "making of the video" available nowhere else.

Servants In Heaven, Kings In Hell is Jedi Mind Tricks' most mature and diverse offering of their ten year career. Their trademark mosh-pit anthems and battle raps coexist with some of the most intricate and poignant songwriting found in independent music, let alone indie hip-hop, today.

We've been recording at Lethal's pad. He has the ill studio up in the crib. We got Psycho Realm and B-Real doing some shit with us. Q just did some shit. It's a lot of shit. La Coka Nostra is me, Danny Boy, Everlast, Slaine, Lethal, Big Left, and Kaves. That's the core of the group right there. There's seven of us. At the same time, we do have a big extended fam like Non-Phixion, Cypress Hill, Q-Unique, Psycho Realm…Shit, even Paul Wall wants to jump on a track. It's an interesting album. It's more than an album. I don't want this to sound like a side project. It's definitely a group, but there are definitely going to be a bunch of guests on there as well.

How did the group come about?La Coka Nostra is Danny Boy's idea. He thought it would be some ill shit and to get a bunch of homies together to work on some music. Nothing serious, almost on some mixtape shit really. We didn't realize it would be what it's become. Once we started doing shit, the chemistry was crazy. We just clicked. It's been a long time since I've had this much fun in the studio. It's been a long fucking time.

What are the sessions like?It's a lot of listening to beats, writing rhymes, a lot of kush…Everlast has the best weed on the planet. He's famous for that shit. Even Willie Nelson will tell you that nobody hooked him up with better weed than Everlast. You know we're burning on some crazy shit, wasted in the studio.And to be honest, I'm not on that type of work ethic most of the time. Usually in the past when I would get drunk or high, I wouldn't get much shit done. It's really the opposite with this shit. We're doing three songs a night having fun. Slaine may go in the booth and set it off, any one of us might write the hook, and it goes down like that. We all do a lot of things. It's a group effort and that's why we were able to bang out what we did so far. We're sitting on mad shit right now and we're about to do more.Lethal's done just about everything so far. We haven't really gone outside too much yet. Muggs is going to be doing shit. Fred Wreck is going to be doing some shit. I just talked to Large Professor and he said he wants to do some shit. It's all about having fun and enjoying ourselves. It's crazy.We haven't played any music for anybody yet. There's some shit that got leaked on MySpace, but that was early music. There are other cats that are down with us, but it's not the core of the group. For the most part, everything that you've heard so far that's been leaked won't be on thealbum.It's crazy because we already have major labels hollering at us, foaming at the mouth. We haven't even played anybody any music. If you name a label, they're waiting in line trying to get in the La Coka Nostra business.

What do you want from a label?Straight up and down, there better be at least a million dollars on the table. It's definitely that type of situation. It's definitely some major shit. It's definitely a million or better.

You guys are like the 2006 white NWA.Yeah, man. That's definitely what it's shaping into. This is some shit for the white boys. Let it be. That's what's up. When people hear this shit, they're definitely going to feel like that.

How are DJ Lethal's beats sounding?I think people are going to be shocked. People know Lethal as originally being House of Pain's DJ back in the day. He hasn't done any production at all in a long time. He's basically been saving shit and stacking it up. His beats sound crazy. People are going to trip. I didn't know what to expect when I first went in to listen to them. They're insane. To me, they're the best of both worlds, the most grimiest shit and the most polished shit combined. He's coming with a combination of Necro and Dre, if you could cross-over them two dudes. Lethal is crossing over both styles. It's bananas. When motherfuckers hear it, they're going to lose their minds. Everything that we're bringing you is more than just a sound or an album. This shit is a movement. I know everyone says that, but watch.

There's been a little bit of promotion on MySpace that's already taken on a life of it's own. There are 5,000 kids that already have "La Coka Nostra" and "LCN" written after their names. If you think that's something, wait for this record to drop. It's going to be everywhere. It's going to be some shit that motherfuckers, even if they know about it, they're not going to expect it to be as big as it's going to be. All you non-believers reading this shit thinking I'm sooping this shit up, you're going to get smacked in the face with the hand of God when this shit drops.

Would you say there's a leader of La Coka Nostra?I think everybody brings different things to the table. I think the beautiful thing about it is that we're all generals. Everlast has been in the game since '86 fucking with Ice-T. With House of Pain and as a solo artist, he's already sold ten-million records and better. We're not making one type of music. I've been running my own independent label for years and I'm one of the kings of the underground. The underground is too small for me right now. I'm breaking out of that shit. I'm in the streets and I'm breaking out of the trenches right now. I'm bringing all of that grinding experience to the table right now. Lethal's seen it all and done it all with Limp Bizkit. Danny Boy and Kaves are fucking graphic and marketing geniuses. People don't even know they be doing shit for Nike and mad other people behind the scenes. When motherfuckers hear Lefty or Slaine, they are going to trip. Slaine's about to shock the world. Motherfuckers are going to bug out. They don't know what they're in for. We're going to do the visual shit like Kiss. Danny Boy and Kaves have the vision to make La Coka Nostra what it is needs to be.

How did your deal with Warner come about?It's more of a Marvel team-up between Uncle Howie Records and Perfect Game Recordings, which is my boy Howie Abrams' label. Warner's paying the bills and they made me an offer I couldn't refuse. This deal allows me to do what I've been doing with Uncle Howie except with a huge staff at our disposal and more money for marketing and promotions. Howie Abrams is a good friend of mine. We go back for mad years and working together now just makes sense. I'm finally at the level, business-wise, to put together a win-win situation for myself with a major. In the past, I didn't have that leverage. I've been eating good on an independent level regardless but this deal right here is the icing on the cake. One hand washes the other and we're better off doing this shit together. Musically, everything is going to be the same as before. But there will be a much bigger push marketing and promotions-wise.

I wanted to be in a position to reach more people, point blank. You can only sell the same records to the same crowd and rock in front of the same audience for so many years. The only way to reach the bigger audience is to get bigger money. I've been fucking with Caroline for Uncle Howie's distro, who is owned by EMI. They do the right thing on the indie level to a point and I have done good business with them for years and will continue to. Caroline doesn't have the money to push their labels the way I want my new album to be pushed at this point in the game. Caroline is great for a new label starting out but if you peep their track record, nobody goes gold or platinum through their system. It's not set up for that. I'm not trying to undersell myself. I have to reach the people that are out there. I feel like there are over a million potential Ill Bill fans out there who just don't know they're Ill Bill fans yet. It takes money to make money, and these motherfuckers got money.

How overdue is your look from a major as a solo artist? It's all relative. As much as I can point fingers at the Non-Phixion situation on Geffen a while back, I can also point fingers at myself because I wasn't ready. Maybe now I could have turned that piece of shit deal into gold. The situation I'm in now is much better than the Non-Phixion deal. I can handle myself much better now.

It's also a matter of having the right people around you. I have a real management team now. They actually add on to what I'm doing instead of me having to watch over them and clean up after their messes. This is some recent shit. The company's called Strong Management. There is only so much you can do on your own. Then you start micro-managing shit and you don't get anything done.

Have you started working on your next solo album? Hell yeah. Me and Q-Unique have a bunch of tracks done. He's spitting on there too. I've been working with Sicknature. Me and him are producing a bunch of shit together. Doug Infinite did this song I did with Vinnie Paz. I just did a bunch of tracks with HR from Bad Brains singing on them. Motherfuckers are going to trip when they hear that shit. I did some shit with Moss. Moss is on the grind right now. He did some shit for me that's crazy. I did some shit with my boy Ad-Money from the Lords. Large Professor is going to do something. Necro, T-Ray, Muggs, Lethal, it's going to be crazy. Pharoahe Monch just told Eclipse he'd get on a track. I'm looking forward to that. I'm doing some shit with Tech N9ne and Immortal Technique. Sick Jacken just spit a verse for me. I'm about to do some shit with the kings of New York hardcore Madball. I'm going to get Rae on the album. I just spoke to OC about doing something. My man Skam2 is getting on there. I don't want to rush this album. I want to take my time with it. I know a lot of people are expecting some crazy shit and I'm definitely going to deliver.

What's up with Non-Phixion right now?Right now, I'm concentrating on my solo shit and La Coka Nostra. But if Sabac and Goretex call me up and say they want to get in the studio, I'm there. I'm going to be putting out Sabac's new CD on Uncle Howie soon. Non-Phixion is still together but we're just taking a little break right now. I can't be Non-Phixion on my own and right now everybody's going in different directions. But when I do my solo tour, it's as good as seeing Non-Phixion because everyone will be there. Recording wise though, shit's on hold. I can't record a Non-Phixion album on my own. The rest of us all have to be writing that shit too. If I write it myself, that would a solo album, not Non-Phixion.

You and Q-Unique seem to have crazy chemistry.Hell yeah. Me and him definitely click. That's my homeboy, aside from all this music shit. That's basically family to me. Me and Q are real tight. We're going to be doing a lot of shit. Matter of fact, we just formed this company called Ill and Unique Productions. Shit is going to be popping. You're going to hear what we've done beat-wise. You're going to get your first taste on my record. Me and Q are working on some shit together. We're also working on an Uncle Howie/Psycho Realm album. We'll be doing beats on that. Q's spitting all over that. There's a lot of shit going on, bro. I'm about to do a collaboration with Royce da 5'9" for Slaine's solo album. MF Grimm just asked me to do some shit. I just did something for Thirstin Howl's new mixtape. U-God just asked me to spit something on his new album. I just did something with Paz for the next Jedi Mind album. I can't even remember everything right now. It's a busy time. I don't think I've ever been busier than right now.

It seems like everybody wants to work with you.Yeah. It definitely feels good. People are finally starting to check for me. I don't think people understood that Ill Bill was in Non-Phixion and they probably didn't understand what Non-Phixion was. I definitely feel that as far as my solo career goes, people are definitely taking notice of what I do.

How much time have you been spending on production lately?Not as much as I'd like to. I've just been so busy lately recording vocals that me and Q haven't been really able to do that much aside from what we've done for my album, but once it's done, we're going to get grinding with it real serious. Sicknature has some crazy ideas and were ironing them out now. I'm starting to pick up the bass guitar again, so I'm putting some live basslines on songs. I'm enjoying that. Being a producer is a full-time job and so is being an MC. That's why when I see what Necro has achieved, it's very inspiring. Since they're both full-time jobs, that's why I've shied away from the production until now. I've gotten the bug again and it's going to be easy for me to do it now since I'm building everything I need in the crib.

How's the "Coke Versus Weed" mixtape with Raekwon coming?Right now, we're both really busy, so we got sidetracked on it. Also, a few offers came in and they want to turn it into an album instead of a mixtape with Necro, RZA, and Premier on the beats. He's finishing up "Cuban Linx 2" and then we can see what's up with the project. It would be much better for it to come out as an album. Once the offers started coming in, we started talking about getting that advance money and giving the fans something better. We're still figuring it out.

Just to get to work with Rae is a blessing in itself. We'll see how it evolves. I can't wait. We're both grinding it out. When it happens, it happens. I'm definitely going to reach out to him because I want to get him on my album.

As I understand it, Rae reached out to you for the mixtape.Yeah. I met Rae through his DJ, DJ Riddler. Big up to Vinnie Ponte. Rae asked me to jump on a track. Then that turned into two tracks, then three. Then we started talking about doing a mixtape. For Rae to ask me to do a track is the ultimate compliment. I've been listening to Rae for eons.

How is it working with Rae?It's dope. Dude is definitely a professional. Shit is grizzly. How do you expect it to be with Raekwon? It's as real as it gets.

Have you earned the title "king of the underground"?I look at it like the underground is definitely something I've conquered. I'm definitely the king of this shit. There are a few people that could claim the title "king." Put it like this, I'm a big fish in a small pond in this underground shit. It's time for me to conquer the mainstream, but I'm not changing a thing. I'm going to be the same scumbag with a bigger budget.

How do you feel about the underground?Ever since motherfuckers figured they could press up a 12", they ruined the market for 12"'s. Shit is so fucking watered-down that it's fucked the whole game up. I think the same thing happened with mixtapes. Everybody has a mixtape. Motherfuckers are passing the demo stage. Now everybody has a home studio and they're trying to record their album in their crib. That's not an album, that's a demo. I don't know who's going to define it and I guess at the end of the day, you've got to let the motherfuckers live. I'm not trying to fight the game, I'm trying to win the game. To each his own. I'm on some other shit. I'm about to get a show on Sirius. I'm not even worried about what other motherfuckers are doing. I'm focused on what I'm doing. I'm not even worried about mainstream radio and those politics. Between mainstream rock radio and satellite, I'm going to be owning the airwaves over the next couple of years. If a station like Hot97 decides to catch up to me, cool. If not, cool. My business plan doesn't rely on Hot97. The love I get from everywhere else makes it all gravy. Let's not even forget about the internet. I don't think anybody's shown me more love than HipHopGame. It's all gravy, man. I don't even get myself involved in the politics of that shit. I'm doing my own thing. My shit is self-contained.If you notice and you really pay attention to what's going on with me, I'm not going to nobody and I'm not asking nobody to help me or to co-sign me. Motherfuckers are coming to me, not necessarily for a co-sign, but they're coming to me. I feel like Metallica in 1984 when they were coming up. It's a different kind of music and a different time, but really, it's exactly the same.

What's the Ill Bill radio show going to be like?It's a throwback show. It's me and my boy Seth Abrams. We're going to do a show that's on some '80's and early '90's shit. We're going to play a whole lot of Hip Hop, metal and hardcore punk. We're going to have mad guests up to the show bugging out. We're going to get dudes like Joe Pesci and Mr. T up there. It's called "The Crack Era Throwback Show" with Ill Bill and SethAbrams. We're getting that shit popping right now.

You're one of the first MC's to take advantage of MySpace. How has MySpace helped you?I think MySpace has basically turned into a music site. Even though it wasn't really that when it started, it turned into something where artists are promoting their MySpace page on their albums. It's easier to promote MySpace because that's where the kids are. It's easier to get them to come to your MySpace page. At the same time they're checking for music, the chicks are looking for dudes to chill with and dudes are looking for chicks to hook up with. It's a twisted-ass social club. For better or for worse, the internet is the most important communication tool we have today. It's vital. Everybody uses it. MySpace took over a large part of the youth culture. A large part of the youth today are on MySpace. When I first signed on a couple years ago, there were five million subscribers. Now there's over sixty million. You can go on my MySpace and I have eighty songs posted up for kids to listen to. Shit is definitely a great way to get the word out on projects. This La Coka Nostra shit has basically taken over MySpace without us even trying.

You have mad friends on MySpace.Shit is crazy. I have like 30,000 friends on MySpace. It's a great way to get the word out. Kids would rather go to your MySpace page than your website, point blank. You can buy an Ill Bill t-shirt off my MySpace. Rupert Murdoch spent $700 million on MySpace. There's a reason he did that.

What's your focus on a day-to-day basis?There's a lot of things. Besides recording for my solo record and La Coka shit and doing shows, I'm doing a new company with my boy Howie McDuffie from Draft Records. It's so new we haven't even decided the name yet. We're going to be doing some internet records straight to iTunes. We're also shopping for some major distribution right now. I'm doing some other shit besides being an artist. Out of everyone in the music industry, artists make the least amount of money. It's not smart to just be an artist. You have to have your hand in other things. I'm shopping some acts and keeping Uncle Howie Records going too. We're going through some things figuring out what we want to do. We're going to be putting out some shit soon. I don't want to say too much because the deals aren't done yet, but you're definitely going to bug out when you hear who's coming out on Uncle Howie.

What do you want to say to your fans?Thank you. I have the best supporters. Thank you for supporting all my projects over the years. Y'all definitely show me mad love. I give you that love right back. I can't wait to see you on tour and let you hear this new shit. Stay tuned. We're not stopping for nobody.

After single-handedly redefining "warped" as the mind and mouth behind the Bronx-based Ultramagnetic MCs, "Kool" Keith Thornton -- aka Rhythm X, aka Dr. Octagon, aka Dr. Dooom, aka Mr. Gerbik -- headed for the outer reaches of the stratosphere with a variety of solo projects. A one-time psychiatric patient at Bellevue, Keith's lyrical thematics remained as free-flowing here as they ever were with the NY trio, connecting up complex meters with fierce, layers-deep metaphors and veiled criticisms of those who "water down the sound that comes from the ghetto." His own debut single, "Earth People" by Dr. Octagon, was quietly released in late 1995 on the San Francisco-based Bulk Recordings, and the track spread like wildfire through the hip-hop underground, as did the subsequent self-titled full-length released the following year. Featuring internationally renowned DJ Q-Bert (also of the Invisible Skratch Picklz) on turntables, as well as the Automator and DJ Shadow behind the boards, Dr. Octagon's left-field fusion of sound collage, fierce turntable work, and bizarre, impressionistic rapping found audiences in the most unlikely of places, from hardcore hip-hop heads to jaded rock critics. Although a somewhat sophomoric preoccupation with body parts and scatology tended to dominate the album, Keith's complex weave of associations and shifting references is quite often amazing in its intricacy. The record found its way to the UK-based abstract hip-hop imprint Mo'Wax (for whom Shadow also records) in mid-1996, and was licensed by the label for European release (Mo'Wax also released a DJ-friendly instrumental version of the album titled, appropriately, The Instrumentalyst [Octagon Beats]).

The widespread popularity of the album eventually landed Keith at Geffen splinter DreamWorks in 1997; the label gave Dr. Octagon (retitled Dr. Octagonecolygist) its third release mid-year, adding a number of bonus cuts. In early 1999, however, Keith's alter-ego Dr. Dooom unfortunately "killed off" Dr. Octagon on the opening track of First Come, First Served (released on Thornton's own Funky Ass label). Kool Keith signed to Ruffhouse/MCA for his second album under that alias, 1999's Black Elvis/Lost in Space. Records released as Kool Keith followed in 2000 (Matthew) and 2001 (Spankmaster), while the 2002 collaboration Gene appeared as KHM (Kool Keith plus H-Bomb and Marc Live). His next project was a four-rapper group named Thee Undatakerz with Keith taking on a new persona, Reverand Tom. Kool Keith Presents Thee Undatakerz hit the streets in May of 2004. Keeping busy, Keith released Diesel Truckers in August of the same year with old friend/producer Kutmasta Kurt. As if 2004 wasn't filled with enough Kool Keith releases, some truly oddball ones started to appear that year. The Official Space Tape borrowed from previous releases to create the ultimate Keith mixtape, the R&B leaning Personal Album was released in a limited edition of 500 and with a high price tag, plus the Real Talk label issued Dr. Octagon Part 2, an unauthorized release that had little to do with the original and was quickly pulled from the shelves by court order. The next year was much calmer with the Global Enlightenment, Part 1 DVD being released at the beginning of the year, followed by Lost Masters, Vol. 2 in the summer.

It’s not everyday an artist has to issue a call for calm, but two months ago DJ Shadow was a man under seige. A war of words was being waged as incensed fans raged across the blogosphere and pillaged messageboards, including Shadow’s own. The catalyst for the insurrection? Shadow’s first single in three years – ‘3 Freaks’. Anything but the cinematic hip hop opus his followers expected, the first taste from his forthcoming album, ‘The Outsider’, was a twisted party rap featuring Bay Area ‘hyphy’ MCs Keak da Sneak and Turf Talk. It’s his homage to the ‘hyphy’ movement – a style he describes as “slightly quirky, fast, club-playable rap with hardcore elements to it” – blowing up in his hometown of the San Francisco Bay Area.

If the shift in direction had some frothing at the mouth, they shat their pants when they saw the Cadillac Escalades and pneumatic booty girls – yes, booty girls! – in the music video. Surely, hyper-ventilating fans asked, this couldn’t be DJ Shadow, aka Josh Davis, the crate-digging maestro who’d made abstract hip hop a high art with releases like ‘Endtroducing’, ‘The Private Press’ and numerous mix tapes? But it was. This guy had the impeccable goatee, the trademark cap – it was undeniably Shadow. Davis maintains he threw ‘3 Freaks’ out there on a “strictly local level” to test the waters within his local club scene. Of course, when you’re streaming it on your MySpace page and selling it on iTunes, local doesn’t stay local for long, and Shadow’s context and history (he was into Bayside rap long before ‘Endtroducing’) got lost in the download. “I just thought this track was a winner and I wanted to see what the local DJs here would think,” Davis explains. “I was really pleasantly surprised with the result, because it’s the first time in my life I’ve ever got any type of radio play.”

As ‘3 Freaks’ portends, ‘The Outsider’ is the sound of Shadow switching off the safety. Tired of being in “a box with a nice neat bow”, he’s traded his sampler for Pro Tools and enlisted a quality crew of collaborators to join him on his new path that leads him all over the musical map. While advance copies of the record (rumoured to be a late August release) have yet to land in Australia, it’s well-known internet knowledge that Davis tag-teams with Q-Tip and Lateef the Truth Speaker, Chris James from Leeds group Stateless, UK rockers Kasabian, hyphy maestro E-40, and rappers Nump and the Federation. He also mixes it up with Mississippi rap artist David Banner, who hollers the previously-unimaginable lyric “DJ Shadow up in this motherfucker!” Clearly, we’re not in Kansas anymore. “It’s funny, because I think this record is much closer to the spirit of ‘Endtroducing’ than anything I’ve done since,” he says of the album’s no-holds-barred approach. “I just wanted to make a record that would challenge people’s perceptions about what hip hop can be.”

Despite the merciless crucifixion of ‘3 Freaks’ in cyber-space, his belief in ‘The Outsider’ remains unwavering. “I think this record is strong. Within the first three seconds, you’ll be able to tell it’s a DJ Shadow record,” he explains. “The left is farther to the left and the right is farther to the right. Removing myself from the equation, I think it’s one of the most diverse records ever made.” By Davis’ own admission, it’s also his riskiest, but it’s a gamble he’s willing to take. Given the seismic life-changing experiences he’s been through in the last few years, a few narky bloggers who like his old stuff better than his new stuff are the least of his concerns. In late 2004, Davis and his wife Lisa’s twin girls were diagnosed as monoamniotic (in most basic terms, two foetuses sharing one sac) in the womb, a complicated condition that could jeopardise both babies. “I was at the hospital four months straight,” says Davis, now the proud father of two healthy girls.

The following year, while driving through London after a playing show, his mini-cab driver fell asleep at the wheel and careened through a red light, broadsiding a speeding police cruiser. Davis escaped with just whiplash, but his views on life, family and music would never be the same. “I was working in the studio on the album and I think it really changed the direction of the album in a lot of ways. You just get to a point in your life where you go ‘what was I waiting for?’ If I have something to say that I want to get out there artistically, tomorrow isn’t promised to anybody. If this is something I want to do and say, you just have to shrug off all the other voices and just do it.”

With a bold new album (almost) ready to rumble, 2006 sees Davis taking inventory and taking charge. The first step has been reclaiming his relationship with his record label, Universal. While he’s been with Island in the UK since 1998, in the US he’s been forced to play musical chairs between Universal subsidiaries, starting with FFRR (US) to MCA to Geffen. Tired of the corporate machine, he cut out the middle-man and signed directly to Universal last May. “It was really good for me to do that because now for the first time in America I’m on a label that had to fight to get me rather than ‘oh, who’s this guy who’s been plonked on our doorstep.”

With a revolutionary new album and his freshly-inked record contract, now the only thing Davis needs to do is finetune his live show, which lands here for the Splendour in the Grass festival and a string of side shows. Back in 2002, he astounded with an audio-visual magical mystery tour through his back catalogue, and this time he’s eager to top it. Even if it means not sleeping until he jumps the plane. “Putting a show together is almost more stressful in certain ways than making an album. It takes me one and a half, maybe two years to make an album and then you come to the end of that process and you’ve got four weeks to get a show together.”

And what will he think if certain train-spotters don’t like what he pulls out on-stage? Again, the Shadow man is unrepentant: “After the events of the last couple of years, I feel like there’s nothing really that anybody could say. I feel fortunate just to be here making music – period.”

Widely regarded as the world’s greatest freestyle rapper, MC Supernatural has wowed crowds all over the globe with his seemingly effortless ability to rhyme about any subject off the top of his head. After a series of legendary emcee battles came two albums, a documentary, video game, MTV Cribs episode and countless shows displaying his remarkable talent.

Having torn the roof off at the Chivas New York Fusion Party, we caught up with Supernat on the phone one night before Bangkok got a second chance to see him perform.

BangkokRecorder: How was Samet?Supernat: Very interesting actually to see a different way of life and to visit the island the day before Buddha's birthday. You know, it was very interesting, it was like going to the country for me, like being in the countryside. It's very beautiful and I got to see both sides: the beautiful and dirty side. We took a scooter right up into the hills. But inspiring as well to be an artist of my calibre to be able come to a place and to actually not only see the touristy side, but also the real part of the island, it was interesting.

BR: Is this your first visit to Thailand? What have been your impressions?SN:Yes, ma'am. Thailand is a very exotic and interesting place. It's a lot to absorb in a small amount of time, but what I've seen so far is, for me coming from so far away, it's like, every moment is something new for me, just looking at things and signs and talking to people in general. To me, it's something very enlightening. But I like Thailand and I would love to come back and bring my family and show them around the place as well.

BR: How did you enjoy the Chivas New York Fusion Party? SN:I enjoyed the party very well. I mean, entertainment is entertainment, I had a ball to be able to entertain and do what I like to do in front of a foreign crowd to see how my music affected them for the first time and I was extremely happy actually. I had a ball. I thought the show went off very well and... It was nice to see that people came out to support the party as well.

BR: Were you born with the ability to freestyle or do you work hard at it because it appears very natural, you make it look so easy?SN:Well, that's why they call me Supernatural because it is natural. I was born with it, but I mean, yeah I definitely practice to keep it sharp to be able to do the things, or anything of that nature takes a certain amount of practice and dedication so you know, I never take it for granted that I have a gift like this. I'm born with it, but it's a blessing from a higher power and I always try to acknowledge that and I also practice, like I said, to keep myself going.

BR: You're hosting the 'Rock The Bells Festival' next month, but is there any truth to the rumour that you're going for the world record for the longest freestyle while you're there?SN:It's the truth. It will definitely be going down August fourth. It's been sanctioned by the Guinness Book of World Records and it's definitely happening. It is not a rumour. It is the truth

BR: How long is the current record?SN:It's currently set at eight hours and 45 minutes.

BR: You and Ge-ology worked incredibly well together. How long have you known each other?SN: I've known Ge-ology since 1993. Ge-ology actually drew one of my first logos for my record when I was signed to East West Records. And at the time, Jerome worked at A & R and I met Ge-ology through Jerome 'cos Jerome hired Ge-ology to draw on my logo and we've been friends ever since.

BR: How will your show at QBar on Wednesday be different to last Friday's show? Can we expect more tracks from your albums?SN: Um... I don't really know about the tracks from my albums. As far as show, for the Chivas show, it's a little bit different type of crowd. I'm expecting a different type of crowd at Q Bar, so I have a few tricks up my sleeve for the audience. There's a lot of things I didn't do that night, especially because of the language barrier. But I've got a few things that I'll pull out of my sleeve. but every time you come to a Supernatural show, you're always guaranteed to see something different. It's never the same. It's never the same thing twice 'cos it prompts you and it's improvisational. So you never know really what's going to happen until it happens.

BR: Do crowds tend to react differently around the world, and where's your favourite place to perform?SN: Crowds always react differently depending on where you are and like I said, the language barrier, but if you give a good performance, nine times out of ten, you know, people always understand a good show. They understand a good performance from a bad one, whether they can understand English or not.

And as far as like my favourite place to perform...I would have to say my top three: Africa, Japan and Australia.

BR: What do you like about those places?SN: Well, Africa just because it's the Motherland, number one. It was an experience just for me to get in touch with the soil of Africa, being a black man and, you know, with people from that part of the world. And Japan because it's funky and they always receive hip hop in a good way. And as for as Australia, they're just wild. The audience always receives the show very well, you know ‘cos they do speak English, so you know...England too. People always love me in England. They always show me a lot of love. I definitely can't complain.

BR: When was the last time you battled an emcee?SN: It's been quite a while now. You know battling, the one thing I always tell everybody is that I don't like to be pigeon-holed as a battle emcee. I'm an emcee first that battles when necessary. It's been quite a while 'cos that's not my goal in life is to beat everybody up because I know I have a gift. I'd rather lay back and make records, but when the opportunity presents itself or when somebody feels like they want to step up, then I'm always ready to defend myself in that arena.

BR: Who would you most like to work with next?SN: Production-wise, I'm pretty much self-contained as far as the group of guys I work with out of Seattle, but if I had the opportunity I would love to do a track with Premier or the Neptunes. But for the most part, my team that I work with now, Vitamin D, Jake One, Bean One, you know, I've worked with Muggs from Cyprus... So my whole team is pretty solid in terms of production as well. I plan on producing quite a bit on my next album.

BR: Which emcees do you most respect?SN: As for as artists are concerned, you know, I would really like to do a song with Pharoah Monche. He's a friend of mine. We're both very busy people so haven't had an opportunity.

BR: In an interview you gave in 1997, you said that hip hop needed a saviour and that Hip-Hop was lost. Do you think it's come any closer to finding its way?SN: That's a tough question. To a certain degree, I feel hip hop is slowly finding its way back to original music and the gimmicks are slowly fading away. But at the same time, as long as the greedy corporate people are still running the music business, there's always going to be trouble... We just ran a red light! (laughs)... there's always going to be trouble as long as that type of music is around. But, I mean, slowly but surely, I just feel people are tired of hearing the same old thing and it's the people that change things. And if we don't take it upon ourselves to, y’know, not buy those records or support the competition, than hip hop will stay in this state that it's in right now. I believe in my heart that it is changing for the better as long as you have people like Ge-ology and myself, Common, Dead Prez, you know these types of groups.

BR: What was it like working on the NBA Ballers video game?SN: It was actually fun, it was an enjoyable experience to be working on a video game to all of the characters we had to do just to get a nice game, but definitely was enjoyable... It may have introduced me to a whole new group, to a whole new audience. A lot of the young kids know me from that game now. It was definitely a blessing. It was a good pay cheque too at the end of the day.

BR: What was the last LP you bought?SN: The last LP that I bought was Ghostface Killah’s Fishscale.

BR: What did you think?SN: It's dope, that's why I bought it. [Laughs] It's a dope record. I think that Ghostface’s album takes you back to the essence... I dig the stories, the music is incredible. All of the rhymes that he chews...He explored a lot of things on that record. It was a creative record. My hat goes off to him, y’know, I really enjoyed it.

BR: How long until your next album?SN: We're actually working on it right now. I can't actually say when it will be done for sure. We're hoping sometime by the summer. We've just really started to be honest with you. We're just collectin' beats, but we're hoping to release it next year sometime.